During March, the children at St Benedict's took part in a range of activities to raise money for Mary's meals – a charity which raises money to provide nutritious meals to children, in some of the world's poorest countries.
Dance-athons, scoot-athons and bake sales were amongst the more light-hearted activities; the children also grew plants to sell and gave up a morning snack - donating the money to the charity instead. Y
Local residents may have seen the children in action when they volunteered to go litter picking in the local area.
A pupil in Year 4 said "We wanted to do some good for Handforth as well as raising money."
Each year, the pupils get involved in a Lenten activity for the good of others. Although only 50% of the pupils at St Benedict's are catholic, all pupils learn about the Christian value of helping others and get involved enthusiastically.
One pupil said "We are so excited that at least 94 children will be fed for a year because of St Benedict's. Last year we did a sponsored walk for CAFOD. Now, we need to think about what is next because we are doing better each year!"
Headteacher Mrs McGuire said, "As always, we are very proud of our children who are always kind and compassionate. They were really passionate about this cause and have worked hard to encourage friends and family to donate to this worthwhile cause."
Deputy Head Mrs McBride, who led the fundraising campaign, said, "We asked the children which charity they would like to raise money for and they voted for Mary's meals. We are always approached by children asking to raise money for charity so we now have a group dedicated to this work - 'The Mini Vinnies' who co-ordinate our activities."
The Mini Vinnies, who are affiliated with the St Vincent De Paul Charity, help co-ordinate lots of charitable work though the year – from making Christmas cards, and organising tea parties for parishioners who live alone, to collecting food parcels for food banks.
To learn more about 'Mary's meals' or, if you would like to donate, you can do so here: https://www.marysmeals.org.uk/fundraising#/detail/701P5000008KcHUIA0
